Panzer III
The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd. Kfz. 141. This tank formed the backbone of the German armour forces up to 1943. Overview The tank was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support similar Panzer IV which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, it was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun. The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV, as from 1942 the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that was better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschuetz III G assault gun until the end of the war. In Flames of War Panzer III H The basic Panzer III available for Afrika Korps and Iron Cross campaigns is the "Panzer III short 5cm" (Panzer III Ausf. H), this was equipped with a short-barreled 5cm KwK 38 L/42 gun. At 5 points each it is the cheapest Panzer that can be fielded, with a Front Armour of 5 and a Side/Rear of 3, and a Top of 1, it is reasonably well protected. Already early in the invasion of the Soviet Union, it was noted that this gun could not reliably penetrate tanks like the T-34 or KV-1, unless at extremely close ranges or in the sides of rear and even then it was difficult, due to the thick armour of KV-1 and sloped plates on T-34. Also of note, all variants of the Panzer III had armoured ammunition bins, which meant they would be less likely to cook off when hit, so in the game, this gives the German player better remount rolls. In Flames Of War, the cm KwK 38 L/42 gun has a range of 24”, AT 8 and a Firepower of 4+. This means that it will do well versus light tanks like the T-60, M3 Stuart but facing heavier tanks like the T-34, M3 Lee and KV-1 will be a struggle. At long range, a T-34 might be only bailed out, and even at short range, a KV-1 remains impervious to the shots aimed from either the front or sides. Conversely, T-34, M3 Lee and KV-1 can all penetrate Panzer III's armour at range. The game reflects the issue, why the Germans wanted to up-gun and up-armour this tank quickly after encountering the new Soviet tanks. This tank is best suited to engaging lighter Soviet armour and units, like armoured cars and light tanks, and can be a decent assault tank in a pinch, provided nearby anti-tank guns are taken out. Panzer III J and L The next iteration of the Panzer III was the upgrading of the gun to a longer 5cm cannon (the 5cm KwK L/60 gun), leading to Panzer III Ausf. J variant. The additional length increased the muzzle velocity of the cannon which allowed it better penetration against the T-34 and KV-1. But it was found that this still was not enough to reliably penetrate the heavier Soviet armour. It was noted that the armour protection of the Panzer III was insufficient against newer Soviet guns so an additional 20cm of stand-off armour plate was added to the hull and turret fronts. These models with both the long 5cm cannon and increased armour are called the Panzer III (Uparmoured), or Panzer III Ausf. L to the historians, with the 28” AT 9 gun and the increased front armour of 6. In the game, the extra range and armour penetration of the 5cm long cannon, will give the German player a better chance in penetrating the T-34, and at short range, a KV-1 can be bailed out from the side, but it is still not ideal. It is not until the introduction of the long 7.5cm gun (7.5cm KwK 40 L/43) on the Panzer IV chassis, that the Germans had a gun that could reliably defeat the T-34 and KV-1. The smaller Panzer III chassis could not mount this gun in its turret and was eventually phased out in favour of the Panzer IV. However, with the clever use of skills like Blitz and Shoot & Scoot, the tanks like the M3 Lee and T-34 can be engaged at long ranges with the full ROF, then move back out of range with the 3+ Skill rating. This will mean unless the opponent passes a successful Blitz test (on their generally worse 4+ Skill/Tactics rating), they will have to move to engage, so will have a reduced Rate of Fire. It can also be done this to move in and out of short range, but these tactics are not guaranteed and relies on lady luck being on the player's side. Panzer III N So with the Panzer III being replaced in the anti-tank role by newer tanks such as the Panzer IV and the Panther, it was decided to find a new role for this reliable tank. By fitting it with the short 7.5cm low-velocity gun (7.5cm KwK 37 L/24) from the early Panzer IV, they produced the final variant of the Panzer III (7.5cm) or Ausf.N infantry support tank. This gun used primarily HE and HEAT rounds, with the HE howitzer type rounds being very effective against infantry, machine gun nests and towed guns. The shaped charge HEAT rounds were also reasonably effective against enemy armour, and hardened fortifications so could be used against enemy armour if needed. Also as HEAT rounds did not require high velocity to penetrate, but rather their warheads explosive energy, they do not lose penetrating ability at long ranges. Around 700 of these were produced in 1942/43, either new from the factory, or by refurbishing older models. In game, this means with the short 7.5cm armed variant has the 24” range, AT9, but an increased Firepower of 3+ with the HEAT special rule (the enemies armour rating is not increased by 1, at ranges over 16”), but this variant cannot be up-armoured, so the Front Armour is only 5. This makes this tank better at taking out dug in infantry and gun teams, with the improved firepower, and a little bit more effective at killing medium tanks like the T-34, M4 Sherman and Valentine, as the range will not reduce the AT power. Ghost Panzers variants The "Ghost Panzers" book implies two new Panzer III variants for the 1943 battles: * Panzer III M, known as "Panzer III (late 5 cm)" * "Panzer III (late 7.5 cm)", which is basically uparmoured Panzer III N; * Flammpanzer III (Panzer III M with a flamethrower). Both variants have frontal armour 6, side armour 3 and top armour 1 with Bazooka Skirts special rule, protecting them from infantry weapons. Model assembly The plastic model kits are composed of a single two-part polystyrene sprue. The bigger part contains treads and hull halves, while the smaller one is filled with pieces used to build the turret and complete the hull. Three gun barrels are included: * the 5cm KwK L/42 gun for Panzer III H * the 5cm KwK L/60 gun for Panzer III J, L, and M; * the 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 for Panzer III N. Ghost Panzers variants contain additional sprue with hull plates, new turret details, and a flamethrower barrel. It is suggested that the bazooka skirts are added after painting the hull. Painting Tanks for Mid-War might be either painted with any deep yellow colour (for Afrika Korps and German units operating in the Southern parts of the Soviet Union) or field grey (suggested for the Eastern Front 1941-42). The tanks for Late-War period are recommended to be primed with dark yellow colour (most of commercially available acrylics or enamels will match) and completed in green/brown camouflage. Suggested paints: Primer * Battlefront Panther Yellow * Humbrol H94 enamel * Army Painter Desert Yellow Camouflage: * medium or darker tones of green * darker tones of brown * Citadel Base Ceramite White (whitewash) * steel metalizer (for machineguns and exposed metal parts) Combat efficiency Panzer III H The staple variant of Panzer III performs well against enemy infantry, armoured cars and light tanks such as Stuarts/Honeys, Crusaders, T-60/T-70 and BT, though its rather weak armour makes it vulnerable to even 20mm guns in T-60. The Firepower 4+ tends to cause bailouts rather than destroying enemy tanks, depending on dice luck. As it was stated above, fighting heavier vehicles such as Shermans, Grants/Lees or T-34s is a struggle - their thick armour allows them resisting shots more easily. A suggested tactic against those opponents is using Blitz Move/Shoot and Scoot combination and aiming at the side armour. Facing KV tanks is not advised since their armour resists shots from the 5cm KwK 38 L/42 gun. At the same time, the aforesaid tanks have enough firepower to destroy the Panzer III H with only a little luck on die rolls. Another dangerous opponent is the American M10 tank destroyer - despite having the same armour values like the Panzer III H (except for the top armour 0 instead of 1 in the Panzer III), the 3-inch gun mounted on M10 has Anti-Tank value of 12, which means that the Panzer III H cannot defend from its shots at any range. Panzer III J and L The improved 5cm KwK L/60 gun significantly boosts Panzer III's anti-tank potential, equalizing chances against M3 Grant/Lee, Sherman and T-34 tanks. The Soviet KV-1 still remains unreachable from the front, yet it can be bailed out when attacking its rear or side armour and the Soviet player rolls 1 on armour save. The firepower ratio of 4+ remains unchanged. Increased frontal armour on Panzer III L allows the tank defending from shots easier than weaker-armoured variants, still, it is advised to expose this tank to enemy fire only if necessary. Panzer III N At the cost of the shortened range (24” when compared to 28" in Panzer III J/L), the 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 gun grants the firepower ratio of 3+, giving better chances of destroying enemy tanks instead of bailing them out. The protection remains the same as in Panzer III H and J, which means the tank should be protected from enemy fire. Using Panzer III in Late-War The Fortress Europe ''book permits fitting Panzer III M and N as a part of Mixed Panzer Company, the same as in ''Ghost Panzers. Being cheaper than Panzer IV, it is possible to fit a numerous company with Panzer IIIs against M4 Sherman tanks or T-34 tanks. The drawback of this solution is quite poor armour and main guns lacking power against the Allied and the Soviet tanks. The Panzer III can defeat T-34, KV, and Churchill tanks only by ganging on them and attacking from the sides and rear, which at best allows defeating one or two enemy tanks per turn. Allied long-barreled tank guns also pose a serious threat for Panzer IIIs: * American 76mm gun found in later Sherman models, M10 tank destroyers and towed allows the Panzers to defend only by rolling 6 on front armour, which can result in a bailout; * Soviet 85mm guns in T-34/85 and SU-85 work the same as American 76mm ones; * the British 17-pounder anti-tank gun is a lethal threat for the Panzers, as their weak armour cannot defend the shots. Image gallery GEAB16-19.jpg GEAB16-20.jpg GEAB16-21.jpg GEAB16-23.jpg GEAB14-11.jpg GEAB14-12.jpg GEAB14-13.jpg GEAB14-14.jpg GEAB14-15.jpg GEAB17-40.jpg GEAB17-41.jpg Category:Vehicles Category:Tanks Category:German Category:Mid-war Category:Axis Category:Armoured Tanks Category:Tank Teams Category:Formations Category:Observer Teams Category:Support